Faculty & Staff Directory

Vincent Evener

Instructor in Reformation and Luther Studies

Dr. Vincent Evener came to the seminary in the fall of 2015, after completing his doctorate at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His research examines how Martin Luther and other sixteenth-century reformers sought to bring about a transformation in the way Christians perceived their world and lived their lives, particularly in light of intra-Christian divisions. Recent and forthcoming publications address how reformers appealed to spiritual and outward suffering to buttress claims to truth; the Protestant reception of medieval mysticism; Luther’s efforts to teach Christians how to respond to ghostly apparitions; and the nature and reception of Luther’s anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish teachings.

In his teaching, Dr. Evener seeks to explore with students the breadth and depth of the Lutheran tradition and the broader Christian tradition. The goal is to enable students to draw upon the tradition and apply its insights effectively as church leaders. In addition to introductory courses on the history of Christianity and the Reformation, he teaches electives on themes such as mysticism and spirituality, marriage and family in Christian history, and the cross and suffering.

Dr. Evener is director of the seminary’s annual Luther Colloquy, and he presents frequently to congregations and other organizations on a broad range of topics surrounding Luther, the Reformation, and the history of Christianity. He is originally from Central Pennsylvania, and he enjoys exploring Gettysburg with his wife and son.

Publications

Books

Articles

“The ‘Enemies of God’ in Luther’s Final Sermons: Jews, Papists, and the Problem of Blindness to Scripture,” Dialog: A Journal of Theology 55, no. 3 (Sept. 2016), 229-238

“Mysticism, Christianization, and Dissent: The Appropriation of Johannes Tauler in Simon Haferitz’s Sermon on the Feast of the Three Holy Kings (1524),” Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte/Archive for Reformation History 106 (Nov. 2015): 67-91

“Jewishness as an Explanation for Rejection of the Word: Caspar Güttel’s Reception of Martin Luther’s Anti-Judaism,” Church History and Religious Culture 95, nos. 2-3 (Sept. 2015): 203-221

“Wittenberg’s Wandering Spirits: Discipline and the Dead in the Reformation,” Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture 84, no. 3 (Sept. 2015): 531-555